The New York Giants spent premium draft capital in 2025 on first-rounders Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart, but it’s their fifth-round offensive tackle Marcus Mbow who has their quickly become the talk of training camp and preseason.
The Purdue product, taken 154th overall, has been nothing short of dominant through his first NFL action — so much that he’s already overshadowing the team’s marquee rookies.
A Giants Draft-day bargain becoming a preseason star
Few pundits expected Mbow to make this kind of immediate impact, but through two preseason games, he’s looked like a polished veteran anchoring the line.
Against Buffalo, Mbow allowed just one pressure in 35 pass-protection snaps.
Across both games, that’s 64 snaps with zero sacks, zero quarterback hits, and just one total pressure allowed.
PFF awarded him an 81.2 pass-blocking grade, one for the best among all rookies in August. Analysts have rushed to label him the Giants biggest steal in years just in 2 preseason games which is rare.
Marcus Mbow shows poise beyond his years
What makes Mbow stand out isn’t just raw production — it’s his composure and adaptability. The rookie has lined up at both left and right tackle, a level of versatility that coaches love. During a heated joint practice against the Jets, he was even praised for “ smart retaliation”, standing up for teammates without escalating the fight. That level-headed approach has drawn praise inside the Giants building and has quickly earned him trust.
The Giants had high hopes for their top picks, and both have shown flashes:
Abdul Carter, the athletic and explosive edge rusher out of Penn State, has shown burst of pass-rushing brilliance, recording early pressures and making his presence felt in camp. Jaxson Dart, the quarterback of the future from Ole Miss, has looked sharp in the last two games, throwing a pair of clean touchdowns and showing poise against NFL- level defenses.
While Carter and Dart are delivering moments, Mbow has been delivering consistency just like Dart and Carter. Every snap, every drive, he is showing how much of a physical powerhouse that he is on the offensive line and needs more reps. Offensive line stability has been a long sore spot for the Giants, dealing with injuires at their tackle position and his instant reliability may be more impactful than what Giants fans and analysts believed.
Mbow’s emergence comes at a perfect time. With All-Pro Andrew Thomas sidelined still and question marks around depth at the left tackle position, the Giants badly needed someone to step up. Mbow has done more than that — he’s positioning himself as a future starter, if not an immediate one. Head coach Brian Daboll has praised the rookie’s maturity, and insiders suggest he could climb the depth chart faster than expected.
What to expect from Marcus Mbow this season
The Giants drafted Abdul Carter to be a defensive menace and Jaxson Dart to be the franchise quarterback, but it’s been fifth rounder Marcus Mbow who has stolen or has been sharing the spotlight with the first round duo. His blend of power, technique, versatility and physicality has already been talked about among the Giants community and could be considered one of the steals of the 2025 NFL Draft.
If he keeps this up, Mbow won’t just be overshadowing his rookie teammates — he’ll be protecting Dart’s blindside for years to come.